What Happens to Your Song Ratings and Reviews When You Change Distributor?

The Question Every Artist Worries About Before Switching Distributors

You've decided to move to a new distributor, but one question keeps nagging at you: what happens to the ratings and reviews your song has accumulated on streaming platforms? Will they disappear? Will they follow you over? The answer depends on the platform and how the transfer is handled — and this article breaks it all down clearly.

First: How Do Platforms Handle Your Content in the First Place?

Every streaming platform uses a unique identifier for each music track called an ISRC (International Standard Recording Code). Think of it as your song's fingerprint. If you keep the same ISRC when moving to a new distributor, the platform recognizes the track as the same recording — and that distinction is what determines the fate of your data.

Second: What Actually Happens to Ratings and Reviews?

The real-world picture varies from one platform to another:

• Spotify: Spotify doesn't allow listeners to write public text reviews on tracks, so there's nothing to lose on that front. Saves, playlist adds, and streaming stats remain tied to the track as long as the ISRC stays the same.
• Apple Music: Ratings and reviews on Apple Music are linked to the album or track page in the iTunes Store. If your content is taken down and re-uploaded as a new release, those reviews are gone. If the content is transferred while keeping the same identifiers, they may survive — but this isn't Subject to eligibility and platform review and is ultimately up to Apple.
• Amazon Music: Amazon allows album ratings tied to the product page. These may disappear when content is re-uploaded through a different distributor, since the new page is treated as an entirely different product.
• Deezer and others: Most of these platforms don't offer detailed public reviews, so the impact is relatively minor.

Third: The Difference Between a "Transfer" and a "Fresh Upload"

This is the core factor that determines everything. When switching distributors, you have two options:

• Fresh upload (Re-upload): You pull your song from the old distributor and upload it as a new release through the new one. This creates a brand-new page on the platforms, starts your numbers from zero, and wipes out all existing reviews and ratings.
• Content transfer: Some distributors allow you to transfer your releases while keeping your original ISRC and UPC codes, which significantly increases the chances of preserving the links and data tied to your track across platforms. This is the better option for maintaining your song's history.

Fourth: What About Streaming Stats?

Stats are a different story from reviews. Historical play counts on Spotify, for example, typically stay tied to the track through the ISRC even when the distributor changes — though you may experience temporary gaps in your analytics during the transition period.

Fifth: Practical Steps to Protect Your Data Before Switching Distributors

• Record the ISRC codes for all your tracks before doing anything, and save them in a separate file.
• Take screenshots of any important reviews and ratings before pulling your content — especially on Apple Music and Amazon.
• Confirm that your new distributor allows you to enter your own ISRC codes rather than generating new ones automatically.
• Don't remove your song from the old distributor until it's fully live on all platforms through the new one.
• Contact your new distributor's support team and ask directly: do you support content transfers that preserve original identifiers?

The Bottom Line

There's no Subject to eligibility and platform review that all your ratings and reviews will survive a distributor switch — it depends on each platform's policies and the transfer method you choose. Holding onto your original ISRC codes and choosing a distributor that supports safe transfers are the best things you can do to minimize any loss. Plan ahead, document everything, and make your move carefully.